Left to right: Mohamed Jneibi and Sultan Darmaki (Red Dunes Games), Takuma Endo and Asami Nogawa … More
In a rare move, ACQUIRE Corp has entered a multi-year partnership with UAE-based Red Dunes Games to co-develop a range of original IPs, in one of the first-of-its-kind collaborations between a major Japanese developer and a Middle Eastern publisher in the industry.
ACQUIRE, based in Tokyo, is best known for titles like Tenchu, Way of the Samurai, and Akiba’s Trip, and in recent years has played a massive part in creating Octopath Traveler and Nintendo’s 2024 RPG Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
Red Dunes, led by friends Sultan Darmaki and Mohamed Jneibi, was 15 years in the making. The pair had always wanted to work in the video game industry, but their careers never lined up until they finally put pen to paper to create their company in 2022.
The Abu Dhabi-based company has, until now, focused on indie games. However, it has actively sought an established partner with a proven background, holding a particular focus on original storytelling and cross-cultural production, to expand its global footprint — which is why it approached ACQUIRE.
Sultan Darmaki (Red Dunes Games) and Takuma Endo (ACQUIRE Corp) shake hands after penning their … More
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“ACQUIRE is a legendary studio with a deep creative legacy, and we are honored to work with them to build the next wave of original games,” said Sultan Darmaki, CEO and creative director. “This partnership is a reflection of our belief that the future of gaming lies in global collaboration, where stories cross borders, and innovation knows no region.”
Takuma Endo, ACQUIRE’s CEO, added: “As ACQUIRE, a studio that has long valued originality from Japan in game development, we are thrilled to have found a wonderful partner in Red Dunes Games and embark on a bold new global challenge together.
“We’ve always believed in the power of originality. Now, with Red Dunes, we’re building something truly international.”
Acquire and Red Dunes also revealed three early projects under development, under the codenames Project Tremor (featuring “city-shaking kaiju battles), Project Umbra (with its “dark fantasy hunts”), and Project Shadowcar (“a shadowy espionage thriller”). All three will be released on PC and major consoles, with multilingual support; initial reveals are planned for upcoming international events, namely the Tokyo Game Show in late September 2025.